Why Is HbA1c Test Important for Diabetics with Kidney Disease
For diabetics who have kidney disease, most of them must be quite familiar with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). This is because HbA1c is one test item used commonly to measure the degree of blood glucose control. It is indeed one important test for diabetics with kidney disease. Why?
What is HbA1c?
Glycated hemoglobin is the production of blood hemoglobin and blood sugar in combination. This reaction is irreversible, and the levels of HbA1c is proportional to levels of blood glucose.
What can HbA1c show for patients with Diabetic Nephropathy?
Both of HbA1c and blood sugar are often taken for diabetics, but they have different uses. Blood sugar test is done when patients have empty stomach or two hours after meal, so it is often taken to detect the onset of diabetes. Compared with blood sugar test, levels of HbA1c focus on measuring whether blood sugar is controlled very well, because it can reflect how well blood sugar is controlled for patients within 8-12 hours. Therefore, this test can help diabetics with kidney disease whether their diet plan, lifestyle or treatment plan is correct.
What can we get from HbA1c test?
Good control of blood sugar can prevent diabetes complications largely, while HbA1c test, compared with blood sugar, can monitor the degree of blood sugar control better. Diabetic kidney disease is just one common complication of diabetes. High blood glucose can cause the thickness of glomerular basement membrane, resulting in diabetic kidney disease. Also, it can lead to the increase of blood lipid and blood viscosity.
As HbA1c rises, patients will be at high risk of Myocardial infarction and stroke that is one leading death cause for diabetics. It is reported that if HbA1c increases at 1%, the mortality rate of these patients will rise 24% for male and 28% for female. Once HbA1c level becomes higher than 7%, the incidence rate of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases will increase to 50% or higher.
In summary
From the above analysis, we can know it is very important for diabetics with kidney disease to do HbA1c test regularly. If you know your recent test report, you can send me to kidneyservice@hotmail.com. We can give you some suggestions to lower your high blood sugar and protect your kidneys after analyzing your case.
Tag: Diabetic Nephropathy Diagnosis
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